Change visa status in the UAE: steps, fees and deadlines

Changing visa status without exit: what it means

A change of status moves you onto a new entry permit or residence while you stay in the UAE. Article 36 of Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022, the Executive Regulation of the entry and residence law, lets an entry visa be converted into a residence permit without leaving, after paying the prescribed fee. The same applies if your residence was cancelled or your permitted stay has ended.

• On an entry permit. A new employer or family sponsor applies for your residence. The Dubai government portal says a change status permit replaces the entry permit if you're already in Dubai.
• After a cancellation. GDRFA Dubai's Status Amendment service has two conditions: a new visa, and the previous residence cancelled.
• Family members. GDRFA Dubai's family entry permit lists extra fees when the sponsored person is inside the country.

You may not need a change at all: the UAE government portal lists a two-year MOHRE work permit for hiring residents under family sponsorship. Unsure which residence fits? See types of visa in the uae.

Change of status fees: GDRFA Dubai and ICP

GDRFA Dubai handles Dubai residence and ICP covers the other emirates, and each publishes its own fees.

GDRFA Dubai's entry permit pages add that the total may vary with the sponsored person's circumstances. Its Status Amendment page also lists, under a note, an AED 15 individual fee and an AED 50 establishment fee without saying what they cover. Check the total on your payment voucher before you pay. The medical test, Emirates ID and health insurance are separate costs.

Employment visa status change in Dubai, step by step

This order follows the Dubai government portal's work residence steps and GDRFA Dubai's work entry permit, which needs MOHRE's endorsement of the work permit first. Other emirates apply to ICP.

• 1. Accept the offer. Your employer becomes your sponsor and applies for the visa.
• 2. Get the work permit. A mainland employer applies to MOHRE. Free zone employers apply for the work permit and residence through their free zone authority instead.
• 3. Clear the old residence. If you hold one, your current sponsor cancels it, as GDRFA Dubai's status amendment needs; see uae visa cancellation.
• 4. Change status. The employer gets the new entry permit, then applies for status amendment with your cancelled permit and the new entry permit. Check the AED 500 inside-country fees on the payment voucher. GDRFA Dubai also asks for passport copies of you and the sponsor, the sponsor's residence permit, the cancelled entry or residence permit and the new entry permit.
• 5. Take the medical test. GDRFA Dubai requires one for applicants over 18; see our medical fitness test guide.
• 6. Residence and Emirates ID. GDRFA Dubai lists 48 hours for the residence and ICP 2 days; you give fingerprints and a photo for the card, then check emirates id status online.
• 7. Track the application. Use GDRFA Dubai's status inquiry page for Dubai, or ICP's smart services tracking for the other emirates, as the UAE government portal directs.

Global Sky PRO prepares and submits the MOHRE, GDRFA Dubai and ICP applications and follows them up; the authority decides each one. See our employment visa service.

Changing status for a spouse or child

The UAE government portal says a resident earning AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation, can sponsor a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs. ICP also asks for suitable housing, proof of kinship such as an attested marriage contract and birth certificates, and health insurance; a family residence can't run past the sponsor's.

• 1. Prepare the sponsor's file. A valid UAE residence, salary proof and a utility bill.
• 2. Apply for the entry permit or status change. In Dubai, the family entry permit is AED 200 plus 5% VAT, with AED 500 and AED 10 each for the Knowledge and Innovation Dirhams if your family member is inside the country. Elsewhere, ICP lists its AED 500 status adjustment fee.
• 3. Medical test. Family members aged 18 or over take it.
• 4. Residence and Emirates ID. Issued on the sponsor's file.

We prepare the family file, submit it and follow it up; see our family visa service.

Deadlines, grace periods and overstay fines

Article 33 lets a work entry permit holder stay 60 days from entry to complete residence. GDRFA Dubai's work and family entry permits say the same, and ICP says delay fines apply if residence isn't issued in that time.

After a cancellation or expiry, ICP lists these grace periods:

Article 64(1) of the Executive Regulation has the ICP Chairman set these periods by category, up to six months in total, and ICP's table is that list. GDRFA Dubai's page still states 60 days and u.ae gives dependants six months, so confirm the end date on your cancellation record. You can check your visa status online.

Miss it and ICP lists a fine of AED 50 a day, from the day after the grace period ends, and the UAE government portal says residence overstay is AED 50 a day (up from AED 25). Article 64 caps the daily fine at AED 100. GDRFA Dubai's FAQ page still shows older daily figures, so confirm the amount on your file.